Overview of: “Short‐ and Long‐Term Outcome Results from a Multisite Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program”

• Author: Dana Peterson,D. Wayne Osgood,Dena C. Carson,Terrance J. Taylor,Finn‐Aage Esbensen
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12045
• Date: 01 August 2013
• Published date: 01 August 2013

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

EVALUATION OF THE G.R.E.A.T.

PROGRAM

Overview of: “Short- and Long-Term

Outcome Results from a Multisite

Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program”

Finn-Aage Esbensen

University of Missouri—St. Louis

D. WayneOsgood

Pennsylvania State University

Dana Peterson

University at Albany

TerranceJ. Taylor and Dena C. Carson

University of Missouri—St. Louis

Research Summary

This article presents results from a randomized control trial of the Gang Resistance

Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program;3,820 students enrolled in 195 class-

rooms in 31 schools in seven cities were surveyed six times over 5 years (pretests and

posttests in Year 1 and four annual follow-up surveys). The resultsindicate that during

the 4 years posttreatment, students who received the program had lower odds of gang

membership compared with the control group. The treatment group also reported more

prosocial attitudes on several program-specific outcomes. In addition to examining the

effectiveness for the full sample, we also report analyses that examine program effects by

(a) site and (b) initial levels of risk for gang membership.

Policy Implications

Effective youth violence-prevention programs continue to be few in number; effective

youth gang-prevention programs are even rarer. Various rating systems exist (e.g.,

University of Colorado’s Blueprint Model, Helping America’s Youth, OJJDP Model

Program Guide, and NIJ’sCrime Solutions), but even application of the least rigorous

standards fails to identify many promising or effective programs. Based on results

DOI:10.1111/1745-9133.12045 C2013 American Society of Criminology 373

Criminology & Public Policy rVolume 12 rIssue 3